NBC Analysis: Russian govt. media "now promoting the presidential aspirations" of Tulsi Gabbard

[Yosemito]

Gabbard was the subject of 20 fawning stories, compared to 10 negative about her opponents:

Gabbard was mentioned on the three sites about twice as often as two of the best known Democratic possibilities for 2020, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, each with 10 stories. Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren had fewer. In each case, the other contenders were treated more critically than Gabbard, with headlines like "'Don't Run': Vermont Paper Begs Bernie Sanders Not to Seek US Presidency in 2020" and "Sexist much? Biden blames 'conservative blonde woman' for shutdown, 'forgets' Ann Coulter's name."

There is much more here: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/russia-s-propaganda-machine-discovers-2020-democratic-candidate-tulsi-gabbard-n964261

[Me.]

1. Pretty Much Says It All To Me

[dalton99a]

2. "Our campaign begins with aloha"

https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/02/politics/tulsi-gabbard-2020-launch/index.html
Tulsi Gabbard to officially launch 2020 campaign after rocky start
By Dan Merica, CNN
Updated 8:20 AM ET, Sat February 2, 2019

Gabbard, in an email to supporters, announced her plan for Saturday earlier this week.

"Our campaign begins with aloha, and it begins in Hawaii," she wrote.

A former Gabbard staffer made light of the chaos ahead of the event.

"Aloha," the former aide said, "means hello and goodbye."

[tinrobot]

14. It also ends with aloha

Hopefully soon.

[at140]

3. I will not post anything derogatory about any democrat

Because there are plenty of Republicans and Independents to criticize. I do not like circular firing squads.

[Yosemito]

5. Define derogatory

Please.

[at140]

7. Not in positive light?

[Me.]

10. So No Negative Self Generated Info On Any Cadidate

JUst blinders on?

[at140]

15. Only if you are running short on "Great" material for

the candidate of your preference. I would rather you sing praises of the candidate of your choice instead of attacking another democrat.

There is a good reason behind my philosophy. Every candidate, not matter how small in polls, has a solid core of supporters. When those supporters see their candidate being attacked by others, those voters are not going to be anxious to get out and vote in general election. We need a united front to beat the incumbent in white house.

[Me.]

16. I Hesitate To Point This Out To You

but this sounds like the philosophy of Individual 1. You're suggesting we hide/ not mention info that may render a candidate unacceptable.

I am insulted by the green is blue and don't believe what you know to be true/see approach of the current resident of the WH and GOP and I sure am not going to ignore truth when it comes to my own party. I want to know if a candidate shares my values or not...that is the purpose of a primary, to find out where a candidate stands on issues, their history and their values.

[at140]

18. I said how I operate...you are free to operate with your MO

If you do not like some other candidate's value, by all means do not support them.
May be double your support for the candidate you prefer. If you attack other candidates, believe me their supporters are not going to flock to your preferred candidate. Actually just the opposite might happen. Your best bet to attract supporters of the candidate you dislike is to keep praising your candidate and point out why she/he will be the best nominee.

[Me.]

19. We Will Agree To Disagree

It will all come out in the wash.

[catbyte]

22. Aren't you the least bit concerned about the "why" of the Russians pushing her candidacy?

If a foreign power--especially Russia--is coordinating a campaign against other Democrats in order to buck up her candidacy, I sure as hell want to know about it. The question is--why don't you?!?

On edit: NBC isn't "attacking" Gabbard, they're pointing out who is backing her.

[at140]

27. Who is your preferred candidate and what is good about her/him?

I am more interested in hearing that than any Russian preference for Gabbard.
Keep in mind we all can read news and most of us read most of the news.
There is no need to REPEAT negative news about any democratic candidate on DU.

There could be one exception to above, whic is if you find out something negative which has not been in the news at all, then you may be justified in posting that original news break. Even then it may violate DU rules.

[catbyte]

31. I don't have one yet. I'm still in the information-gathering stage.

[Qutzupalotl]

30. I am.

I don’t trust Gabbard one bit, not after her stunt in Syria.

And your quesion is a good one. Foreign manipulation and interference in elections is a national security issue of the highest magnitude warranting a coordinated response, not a change of subject.

[at140]

33. I worry about all foreign powers but I worry lot more about..

China than Russia for the simple reason China economy is 10 times bigger than Russia,
China is buying businesses, land, mines, oil fields, ports, etc all over the world, while
Russia is hard up for cash because of lower oil & natural gas prices which are their main
sources of cash. And our ugly trade deficit with China continues unabated. China is building
muscle while Russia is mainly creating mischief and has no power to disrupt our economy.

[catbyte]

34. As far as I know, China has not hacked into the DNC, instituted a troll/disinformation campaign

campaign designed to destroy American democracy nor has installed a dupe/asset/agent as president. What would you have us do about China? In actuality, China probably owns more of the US than the US does at this point because they've been financing the deficit the gop has foisted upon us since bush/cheney.

[at140]

40. I think China's main focus is hacking American businesses, instead of political

parties and candidates. China is more practical because by spying on American businesses,
they reap much more monetary rewards.

[calimary]

35. Anyone who the Russians are promoting is NOT a good candidate

for America. The Russians are going to push whoever serves THEIR interests, NOT ours.

[at140]

42. Russia is only a mischief maker in political categories

Their economy is puny. China economy is ten times bigger than Russia's.
China owns lots of US assets and assets world wide (land, businesses, mines, oil fields, ports etc).
China is flexing their military and economic muscle and are in a position to hurt us if they choose.

[yaesu]

23. DU rules on the subject from their terms of service page

Don't bash Democratic public figures
Do not post disrespectful nicknames, insults, or highly inflammatory attacks against any Democratic public figures. Do not post anything that could be construed as bashing, trashing, undermining, or depressing turnout for any Democratic general election candidate, and do not compare any Democratic general election candidate unfavorably to their general election opponent(s).

Doesn't give much leeway but the way I read it you can state your feelings about any canidate, bad or good, in this early stage BUT, when one is in the election process ANY negs are a BIG no no.

[Codeine]

4. Meh. Non-entity. nt

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

6. So far it's going swimmingly. nt

[ChiTownDenny]

17. No doubt she's secured the Russian vote.

[yaesu]

24. I don't think SHE secured anything, I think the russian cyber war, which goes on with the help of

repugs and tRump, just pick whomever to stir up whatever they thinks helps them and the repugs.

[Cane4Dems]

8. As an indian and hindu

I will openly say she is a disgrace to our community.

She openly supported taking away rights from LGBTQ community; she openly supports bombing civilians in middle east, she would go onto Fox News and openly criticize Pres. Obama

She in no way represents democratic principles except for a D next to her name and repeating some talking points that russians have taught her.

I hope she gets <2% in initial primaries, gets the hint and drops out.

Tulsi Gabbard is a FRAUD. Anyone takes exception to this should re-examine whether they actually want a democrat to win the 2020 election.

[LongtimeAZDem]

9. Gabbard railed against "homosexual extremists" while in the Hawaii legislature in 2004,

and appeared in a video that equated gay marriage with bestiality.

She should resign, not run for president.

[Ponietz]

11. Bookmarked

[Tom Rinaldo]

12. This is interesting

On it's face of course it seems to show the Kremlin picking a favorite, or at least a candidate whom they think they can benefit from promoting. The timing is interesting because at this stage in the election cycle Democrats really don't have a presumptive nominee, unlike in 2016 when Russian efforts to boost Stein or Sanders could have been motivated by their desire to hobble and damage Clinton, who they had solid reasons to believe would be the eventual Democratic nominee.

Meanwhile this is an indication that Russia may now be pushing an anti-Sanders line. I remember that "Vermont paper" story getting a lot of attention on DU (though the attribution link was from "Raw Story", not a Russian site.

[MarianJack]

13. Tulsi needs to seriously...

...piss off!

I suppose that she has now removed her lips from Bernie Sanders' ass?

RESIST!

[Codeine]

20. All of her fan on DU will be devastated.

[PatrickforO]

21. OK. Help me understand here why so many seem to dislike Gabbard so much.

I just read her bio on Wiki and she has had an honorable career. The only smirch against that career was her stance against LBGTQ rights and same sex marriage.

Otherwise, she is solid on abortion, the environment, finance and foreign policy.

What did she say or do that makes her earlier positions on same sex marriage and LGBTQ rights so unforgivable?

Because you know, Harris has announced, as has Cory Booker, both good, solid candidates.

Why is Gabbard not been forgiven when Obama and Clinton both were? Because both of them, as well as Biden, 'evolved' in their stance toward LGBTQ rights and same sex marriage.

Can you please help me understand?

[Qutzupalotl]

32. She flew to Syria without telling anyone, to show support for Assad

while trashing our allies in the region, upending U.S. foreign policy, shortly after Trump took office:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/26/tulsi-gabbard-bashar-al-assad-syria-democrats

Russia wants Syria as an oil pipeline route to the sea and views Assad as an ally.

Recall that Gabbard quit the DNC in a public spat with DWS at a critical juncture in the Sanders/Clinton battle, playing up the favoritism the DNC appeared to show Clinton. That drove a wedge between two factions of Democrats and prolonged the bitterness and distrust, helping to depress enthusiasm for Democrats in the general, which again happens to be what Putin wanted.

Now couple that with Russia boosting Gabbard, like they did with Jill Stein, and a picture starts to emerge.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/russia-s-propaganda-machine-discovers-2020-democratic-candidate-tulsi-gabbard-n964261

Gabbard has a fine background and appearance but acts as though she were an asset of Russia. Certainly the Russians defend her like one.

[Autumn]

37. It almost seems in the first link Republicans are the ones mostly condemning her

for going to Syria.

[Qutzupalotl]

38. Her trip was widely condemned.

I encourage you to google “Gabbard Syria” or “Gabbard Assad” to see the variety of sources condemning her judgment.

There is praise for her trip from RT, though. She and Putin think it’s just grand. “Peace” through capitulation and appeasement. A propaganda victory for the Kremlin.

[Autumn]

39. I haven't read what her policies are or much of anything about her Syria trip,

I'm still in the checking them out stage. That being said, I was never a fan of Syrian involvement. Those things have never worked out well for anyone.

[Qutzupalotl]

44. Granted. But we can't have individual reps making their own foreign policy.

America needs to speak with one voice on the world stage, or else we create chaos; so that necessitates internal coordination, not subterfuge.

[yardwork]

36. Gabbard's foreign policy aligns with that of Russia.

It's solid for Putin.

[MrScorpio]

25. Yeah, but no one here really wants her ass...

The objective isn't to elect her, the objective is to make electing a better candidate that much more difficult.

Zero/sum thinking isn't at work here.

[Iliyah]

26. She is a RWer

posing as a Democrat.

[empedocles]

28. Wonder if russians involved with Northam mess.

[Cha]

29. Appreciate that nbc is getting it out there.

Bookmarked.. Mahalo, Yosemito.

[BN1914]

41. Shocking!

[Hassin Bin Sober]

43. I knew it!

Russian trolls are going after Bernie!

Hmmmm. Now it all makes sense.